PS4 and Xbox One convincing devs to ditch PC and mobile - report

Developers are being lured away from PC and mobile platforms back to the latest generation of console hardware, according to a new report.

The 2014 Toolbox Report from UK industry body TIGA found that Apple’s iPhone and iPad were the most popular devices among developers, with 73 and 72 per cent working on titles for the iOS platforms respectively.

Despite this, the new PS4 and Xbox One consoles were enticing many to jump across to the console hardware, with over half (52 per cent) of devs planning to develop for Xbox One in the future and almost the same number (48 per cent) considering the PS4 as a future development platform.

The PlayStation Vita is seemingly also a hotbed of interest for devs, seeing the fourth largest increase in terms of devs now looking to develop for the hardware – a growth of 11 per cent.

The new interest in the consoles may come at a cost to mobile and PC, with 15 per cent of developers expecting to drop work on PC titles in the near future. Eight and seven per cent similarly expect to stop working on iPad and iPhone games.

However, 63 per cent of developers still highlighted the PC as a key platform for development, almost double that of those focusing on Mac (35 per cent).

Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, commented: "Both Microsoft and Sony have invested heavily in engaging developers, especially indies, to make games for their platforms. This investment seems to be paying off.

"It's also interesting to note that a smaller proportion of developers plan to develop games on the iPad and iPhone in the future. This is probably due to the congested marketplace developers face given the popularity of Apple's platform, and the challenges for discoverability this brings.

"With the gap closing between Unity and Unreal, with nearly a quarter of UK developers intending to work with Epic's engine in the future, it seems whether you're looking at engines, middleware or platforms, the future of the UK games industry looks more competitive than ever."

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